Product Description

Kenmore Elite 24" Built-In Dishwasher - Powerful and Quiet

The quietest dishwasher Kenmore has ever made at only 39 decibels, this ENERGY STAR® Kenmore Elite built-in dishwasher 1279 lets you rest and relax while it does all the hard work. The combination of the 360-degree PowerWash™ Plus technology and TurboZone® with rotating spray jets attacks your greasiest and grimiest dishes. Don't worry about your large or odd-shaped pots and pans. The one-hand adjuster makes lifting the upper rack very easy. It also has an efficient UltraClean wash system that knows the exact amount of water and energy to use so you can save money on your utility bills.

Overall, others give this:

Overall Rating Breakdown:

Reviewers may have received a benefit, like a sweepstakes entry or rewards program points, in exchange for writing a review.
Those benefits were not conditioned on the positive or negative content of the review.

Most Helpful Reviews

Praise15 found this helpful

j-prince22

Jul 6 , 2014

Felt Compelled to Review this Dishwasher

I wanted to write this review because I read all the other reviews prior to purchasing this dishwasher. I must admit I was worried about some of the reviews and I personally don't think Consumer Reports opinion adds up to more than a hill of beans. I was also concerned about the one review stating the dishwasher warped her cabinets because my kitchen setup has the dishwasher's only vent (left top side) less than 2 inches away from my cabinet because my kitchen is L shaped. I am also replacing a 15+ year old dishwasher that was so loud and when it finished drying, the dishes were too hot to handle for another 30+ minutes. I have only had this dishwasher now for 3 weeks so I cannot comment yet on its longevity, but I can tell you this dishwasher has more than lived up to its and my expectations. The dishwasher is extremely quite other than when it is filling up with water or changing to drying can you really hear anything and that is barely audible. My dishes, cups, mugs, silverware and plastic-ware ALL come out clean and DRY - NO spots and NO water left behind inside the machine, on the racks and not on the items inside. I will say I had the dishwasher professionally installed and they told me to run the machine empty on the longest and highest setting prior to using it with dishes to remove remaining deposits from the manufacturing process. After that, I have been running the machine on the Smart Wash and Smart Dry mode with Finish powder soap and Finish Jet-Dry rinsing agent. I was told long ago not to use liquid soap because it clogs the machines. I also pre-rinse my items because do you really want all that left over debris going through your dishwasher? I also run my dishwasher most of the time at night so everything probably has been left sitting in there for several hours before it is emptied. Lastly, my concerns about the vent so far seem to be a non-issue. I have placed my hand on the vent during washing and drying and I can barely notice anything coming out, there is no noticeable heat or steam and my cabinet is fine. My old unit vented out the front, you could see the steam when drying and you could get burned from the steam. I hope this dishwasher does last the test of time, but I can only speculate that for now. I also do not see and issue with the top rack's construction. It seems well made (as good as any other dishwashers I looked at) the racks easily slide in and out. Plus I don't really have the need to adjust the top rack often. As far as everything else, this machine is the best in my book!

Criticism41 found this helpful

nts345

Jul 1 , 2013

Epic disappointment

We paid a lot because we wanted the quietest dishwasher...and this was quieter and more spacious than the Bosch. So, I have now run it on every type of cycle it offers and can say that even with the 'turbos' and bells and whistles, it cleans worse than my 13-year-old builder-installed GE washer. Wow. Nice that it's quiet but I have to scrub down EVERYthing before it goes in this washer....not a single hardened crumb on a plate can be overlooked. My old washer...I could put a sneaker in it and it would look like new. Too bad, will see what I can do about returning this new super-expensive washer. Absolutely NOT worth the money...and who cares how quiet it is when you have to scrub and get yourself super dirty before you load it. Pick your evil, I suppose!

This item has a defective design for the upper rack and all wheels. Cheap, poor quality plastic break after about a year (when the standard warranty is over). Spend a little time checking online; this is a common, well-know, pervasive problem. Do not purchase.

I never write reviews, but couldn't help it this time.
This is by far the worst dish washer we've ever had. Bought it on Consumer Reports rating of 85, the highest it looked at. But now when you look at customer reviews it rates a 2.6 stars. Terrible!
We had a problem only a few months in with water leaking everywhere. Sears sent out a technician that didn't know how to fix. Finally ordered a whole new motor unit. Now just another few months later, it is leaking everywhere.
Ruined my floors, walls, and ceiling downstairs. I would never recommend this unit to anyone, and am very unhappy that when I asked for a new unit the first time Sears said NO. And would only send a technician which took a while to come out, then we had to wait two weeks to get the parts. It still broke again!
P.S. It never washed or dried dishes well anyways, but I could put up with that. Not flooding my house!
Thanks

I originally bought a Bosch from Sears--it was terrible. It never worked correctly from Day 1. I exchanged for the Kenmore Elite. It is so much better! The drying element alone makes this one superior. I do wish it had the 3rd shelf that is now on Bosch and Kitchen Aid models. Otherwise this is perfect!

Runs very quietly - the drying cycle takes a while to work--the first few washes/drying were filled with water now there is much less.Looks very nice-(all though mine has a small weird discoloration on the front)

Generally a solid product. Overall - very satisfied - only a couple of nits. Cleans extremely well, and is reasonably easy to install once you've read the directions (I will read before first installation attempt next time...)
(1) Top rack bearing retainer sleeve is a very poor/cheap plastic design - broke within one week of use. Sears was good about replacing it - but shouldn't have broken this quickly. (2) Top rack adjustable height/mounting mechanism is also a flimsy/cheap plastic design. Has not yet broken - but it is just a matter of time. Why design everything else so well and cheap out on two critical and frequently-used components? (3) Heating element runs MUCH too hot. Have lost a number of plastic (dishwasher-safe) dishes to warping and melting.

THIS DISHWASHER WAS BOUGHT FROM THE DEPTFORD NJ MALL AND INSTALLED ON 10-29-14 AND BROKE BY 11-29-14. NOW ITS 12-26-14 AND 2 REPAIR TECH VISITS LATER AND STILL BROKE. SEARS WAS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT TODAY BUT WAS CANCELLED BY THEM BECAUSE 1 OUT OF THE 3 NEW PARTS THEY ORDERED WERE NOT SHIPPED ON TIME. SO NOW I WILL BE WITHOUT A DISHWASHER FOR MORE THEN A MONTH. I ASKED FOR A REPLACEMENT BUT THEY GAVE ME THE RUN AROUND EVEN THOUGH ITS STILL WITHIN MANUFACTURERS WARRANT. THIS ITEM WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND WAS VERY EXPENSIVE. DO NOT BUY THIS JUNK. BUY A BOSCH ITS JUST AS QUIET AND LESS EXPENSIVE.